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2 R E S S 0 L H S J TROLLEY FOR ELECT-RIG RAILWAYS.

Patented Dec. '8, 1891.

(No Model.) 2 sheets sheet 2.

J. W. SOHLOS'SER. TROLLEY FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

No. 464,780. Patented Dec. 8,1891.

' g ewtoz' 11V e/aoeo- I UNITED STATES PATENT QEFICE.

JOHN V. SCIILOSSER, OF IVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

TROLLEY FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 464,780, dated December8, 1891.

Application filed August 10, 1891. Serial No. 402,2 L6. (N0 model.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN W. SCHLOSSER,of \Vashington, District ofColumbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trolleys forElectric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

At the present day it is the common practice to provide electric carswith pivoted vertically-swinging arms known as trolleys, which extendupward from the top of the car to an overhead conducting-wire for thepurpose of receiving and transmitting the current from the conductortothe motor on the car. As ordinarily constructed, these arms are urgedupward by strong springs, and it frequently happens that in the event ofthe roller or trolley proper escaping from the conductor the arm will bethrown upward above its normal position, so that it will contact withthe conductor in an objectionable manner, or contact with obstructionsin such manner as to cause injury thereto.

My invention is intended to prevent the breakage and other evils whichattend the swinging of the trolley above the proper height; and to thisend it consists in combining with the arm automatic tripping orreleasing devices of such character that whenever the arm swings above agiven point it will be automatically released and permitted to fall. Itwill be apparent to the skilled mechanic that the details ofconstruction to this end may be variously modified, or, in other words,that the invention may be embodied in various equivalent'forms.

I prefer to mount and operate the trolleyarm in the ordinary manner, butto joint its upper end so that it may rise and fall independently of theremaining portion, and to sustain the end thus jointed by a latch orlocking device, which is automatically released whenever the arm reachesa predetermined elevation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents my improved trolley inoperative position. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the manner inwhich the upper end is released and permitted to fall.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a vertically-slotted arm orbracket mounted in any suitable manner on the car, and B thevertically-swinging trolley-arm carrying the usual roller Z) at itsupper end and connected near its lower end by a horizontal pivot c tothe bracket. Its lower extremity is connected to one end of a strongspiral spring D, which is attached at the opposite end to the bracket,so that it serves to urge the trolley constantly in an upward direction,the action in this regard being essentially the same as in the trolleysnow in general use.

The arm B, instead of being made in one continuous piece, as usual, isconstructed in two parts b 12 which are connected by a pivot 11 so thatthe upper section b may when released drop independently on theremaining portion, as shown in'llig. 2.

E is a latch pivoted to the lower member of the trolley and arranged toengage over the lower end of the upper member, thereby locking the twoparts together, so that they constitute for the time being a rigidtrolley operating like those in general use.

F represents a trip-arm so shaped and locat-ed that whenever thetrolley, disengaged from the conductor or otherwise released, tends torise above the desired limitthelatch E will encounter the trip-arm andbe disengaged from the upper part of the trolley, so that, although thelower part of the trolleyarm remains in its elevated position, the upperend falls to the position shown in Fig. 2. The bracket may be providedwith an outreaching arm carrying a roller G, which serves to arrest thefalling end of the trolley.

H is-a controlling-cord attached to the lower member of the trolley andextending downward within reach of the attendant as a means ofcontrolling the rising and falling movements of the trolley, as usual.

In order to restore the trolley to an operative condition after itsupper end has been tripped and permitted to fall, it is only necessaryto pull downward on the cord, the effect of this action being to depressthe lower member while the upper member is supported and caused to turnupon the roller G as a fulcrum until the parts are again brought intoline, whereupon the latch engages automatically to hold them.

In order to permit an adjustment of the device so that the trolley willbe released at a higher or lower level, the trip-arm B may be mounted ona horizontal pivot f and secured by a pin f, adapted for insertion ineither of a series of holes f in the bracket. This arrangement permitsthe trip-arm to be changed in position, as may be required.

It will be observed that my trolley under normal conditions operates inprecisely the same manner as the ordinary rigid trolley; but thesupplemental tripping or releasing devices are brought into action onlywhen the conditionsare such that safety demands it.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim is 1. Avertically-swinging trolley jointed to permit independent falling motionof its upper end, in combination with automatic trip devices, wherebythe parts are held in fixed relations until the arm rises above theupper limit.

2. In combination with the supportingbracket, the jointed trolley-arm,the liftingspring, the latch connecting the two parts oi. the arm, andmeans for automatically tripping said latch.

